this post was submitted on 24 May 2024
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UK Politics

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[–] essell 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I hope this is down to them needing to have this ready weeks ago and not knowing when the election would be.

As slogans go it's about as inspiring as Starmer himself.

Generic, non-commital and subject to change.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] essell 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

True, very different vibes!

Tories have been nothing but changeable in recent years and that's not been a good thing!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Labour are sort of arguing for a change to a stable government which is the most ambitious bit of political messaging I could possibly think of.

Time will tell if sunak and the Tories are so hopeless it actually works

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Fair point well made. I guess we'll see how this particular campaign is received.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It just describes what he plans on saying he's doing if elected, it'll Change every other day.

[–] essell 8 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I'll take a pragmatic responsive PM over the lurching idealogues of recent years

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Well said. While he's not perfect, I'd imagine Starmer will be significantly different to the Tories.

[–] essell 6 points 1 month ago

The fact that he won't be distracted by right wing extremists in his own party is a good start.

Within the labour party he is the right wing extremist.

And I don't think he's likely to be too damaged by attacks on the left much either, certainly not until after the honeymoon period.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Labour seems to be shifting further and further Right, not sure how much better they'll be than the Tories. But for what it's worth, I totally agree.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So when Tories go back on promises it's lying but when labour do it its reasonable pragmatism?

[–] essell 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Did I say all those things?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Maybe I misunderstood but that seemed to be what you were suggesting

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Makes sense since somewhere between two thirds and three quarters of voters think it's time for a change of government!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Change from blue right wing wankers to red right wing wankers.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Come on man. When a party of wankers is forcing you to take it in the arse.

Variety seems like the least you can expect right.

Well that and the party actually letting you vote for the member used. Blue tories really have not done that for 3 inserted members.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Do you not think that an oversimplification?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Starmer has dropped every left wing pledge, purged every progressive and has bent over backwards to appeal to vested interests.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

To such a degree that they're worse than the Conservatives?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I didn't say they were worse. They haven't been in power so how could they be?

But Starmer is offering nothing new. Same austerity, same corporate control of industry and political influence, same authoritarian proclivities and pandering to neoliberals and mass murderers.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Apologies, I didn't mean to say that you meant that, I'm asking the question, would that make them worse?

As they haven't been in power, we can't see what they'll actually offer until they're in power.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Yes we do. We need to not vote in either Labour or the fucking Tories. This country is a fucking joke.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

To be honest, I think your position is short-sighted, naïve and lacking in pragmatism.

Right now, in most constituencies, your choice is between Labour/Lib Dem and Tory/Reform. And anyone who thinks Labour getting into government wouldn't be an improvement over the Tories hasn't been paying attention for the last decade. Even if Labour had the exact same political stance as the Tories - which they don't - the fact that they're not nearly as likely to be corrupt, self-serving slime balls makes them an improvement by itself.

Labour needs to appeal to moderate, swing voters. There's no steadfast left-wing voter base in the UK; if Labour can't win over the swing voters they won't get elected - it's that simple. That doesn't mean they're sat there asking themselves how they can be more like the Tories, it just means they need to take positions that have broad appeal and don't just go full-socialism. As much as socialism appeals to me, I'd rather see Labour actually get elected. There's zero chance we go from our current government to a socialist government overnight.

And if I think about where I'd like to see our country in ten or fifteen years, Labour winning this election is the most realistic way for us to get there. Spoiling your ballot, not voting at all, or voting for some candidate who's going to get <3% of the vote isn't going to achieve anything other than a short-lived sense of self-satisfaction. The best thing any of us can do is to pick the least bad of the realistic options. I don't like that that's the system, but it's the system we've got and we either have to work within it or have it imposed on us anyway.

I don't think the Labour Party is perfect by any means. They have some ideas I like, and I'm hopeful they'll unveil more policies I like in the next few weeks. And, of course, there are things I dislike about them. They're certainly not my dream party. But I also think it's important not to let perfect be the enemy of good. We have a chance to improve things, and squandering that chance just because things aren't going to be perfect is fucking stupid.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The voting system is shit and needs reforming.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Unfortunately we tried that with AV, and the future Brexit voters swallowed whatever was churned out in the media.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Appropriate username.

Not that I disagree right now though.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I'm sure that'd help in this election!

Perhaps join a party or pressure group and help make that change?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


The word was emblazoned on the lectern as Keir Starmer responded to Rishi Sunak’s rain-soaked speech on Wednesday and, lest there were any doubts about Labour’s key campaign message, he said it eight times in his brief address.

A one-word slogan has the merit of being simple and clear – and Labour believes that “Change” will chime with the public’s widespread sense of exasperation at the state of the country.

Starmer pressed home the promise of change in his launch speech on Thursday, urging disillusioned voters to “turn the page” and “end the chaos”.

By contrast, Theresa May appeared to offer continuity in 2017 with her campaign slogan promising “Strong and stable leadership”, despite the country having backed the change option in the EU referendum 12 months earlier.

Just as Sunak’s repeated insistence that he has a plan jarred somewhat with his increasingly sodden shoulders on Wednesday, May’s promise of strength and stability sat uncomfortably alongside a panicked mid-campaign U-turn on social care.

But if the party’s poll lead is anything to go by, as the campaign gears up in the coming days, Starmer’s cry of “Change” should fit neatly with the mood of an exasperated nation.


The original article contains 681 words, the summary contains 197 words. Saved 71%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I think he stole that from a US presidential candidate!

Oh wait… Sorry, no.

That was Andrew CHANG.